The Evolution and Pathways for Development: Science and Technology of NIEs and Selected Asian Emerging Countries

Many emerging countries in Asia demonstrate a strong pattern of growth and potential of diffusion in science and technology that is dynamic and self-propagating. To elucidate the evolution in science and technology and the institutional dynamics that drive the self-propagating behavior, this paper attempts to examine the national science and technology pathways and accumulated knowledge stocks of selected economies in Asia. An analysis of papers and patents production for each nation was conducted to examine the indigenous science and technology capabilities. To enrich knowledge on self-propagating behavior for different stages of industrialization, this study focused on six major economies, namely China, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. In addition, Japan, a country with advanced development of science and technology, is included for comparison. The findings provided insight and understanding of evolving science and technological waves and the dynamic potentials in science and technology. We demonstrate the institutional dynamics that drive the self-propagating behavior, thus providing a more complete understanding of the innovation systems than those examined in previous studies.